Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Mexican Chicken Lasagna

I made both chicken and bean burritos for dinner the other night. One of my sons fav things for dinner is a bean burrito (black beans and refried beans mixed up together, microwaved, topped with cheese and then folded burrito style). We had a bunch of left overs (including the chicken) so I came up with this simple recipe that satisfied us all... Mexican Chicken Lasagna3 c cooked rice (cooked in chicken stock is ALWAYS the way to go OR mexican rice would be awesome)2 boneless skinless grilled chicken breasts, diced1 c corn (I love Bybee Foods Organic frozen corn)16 oz black beans, drained and rinsed16 oz refried beans1 large onion, diced1 large tomato, diced (or 16 oz canned diced tomatoes)2 cloves garlic (or 1 t of the minced in a jar)3 T chili powder*1 1/2 T paprika*1 1/2 T cumin *Tomatillo sauceFlour tortillas3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (or if you don't have little ones a mix of cheddar and pepper jack would be delish)

PAM a casserole dish. Pour in your Tomatillo sauce - just to coat. Put a layer of tortillas on top of the sauce. Layer the tortillas with rice. Then layer the rice with 1/2 the cheese. Then cover the cheese with the layer of chicken and bean mixture. Layer with more tortillas. Layer the tortillas with corn and then layer the corn with the rest of the cheese.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese is all melty and crusty on top.

My son tore the top layers of tortilla, corn and cheese off the top in one piece and started mackin' on that - he told me that part was his favorite Mexican food ever (I swear it's that sweet corn!) next to bean burritos of course...

*These 3 ingredients make up your average Taco Seasoning mix - but without all the silicone dioxide, monosodium gluteamate, etc. You can substitute them for your fav Taco Seasoning mix.

**I just want to say that I absolutely don't intend to sound judgy. It is easy to take short cuts - I've taken short cuts all my life. With that said, through my "food knowledge" journey I have realized that there are several easy substitutes for pre-packaged seasoning mixes. Not judging - just sharing knowledge here...